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YIF Alumnus Ravi Ranjan Kumar鈥檚 (YIF 鈥�23) shortfilm Katani Baad won BEST SOCIAL FILM at Nawada International Film Festival 2026 and was selected for several festivals such as SmallRig Awards, Kerala Short Film Festival 2025, Pune Short Film Festival 2025, and Darbhanga International Film Festival 2025.

Ravi from Jehanabad in Bihar turned his early curiosity into a lifelong passion for filmmaking. Growing up, access to quality education was a luxury, but he remained respectful of every opportunity he encountered. At Shoshit Samadhan Kendra, Patna, he earned the nickname 鈥榗hota engineer鈥� for his knack for dismantling and repairing electronics. His interest in storytelling grew through school theatre, leading him to shift from acting to filmmaking. Ravi created two notable films, ‘Zindagi Ek Deal’ and ‘Apun ka Cinema’. Apun Ka Cinema won Best Promising Director and the Best Short Film Awards at India Alive Short Film Festival 2019, the latter earning a Filmfare nomination for Short Film Awards 2020. Through the YIF, he expanded his perspective, and today, he鈥檚 a Junior Cinematographer at Quidich Innovation Labs, highlighting that passion can take you to places.

Rooted in personal experience and community stories, his recent short film, Katani Baad, powerfully captures the human cost of migration, celebrating resilience, love, and the strength of rural families.

鈥淜atani Baad is inspired by my personal experiences and stories from my community, where migration is not just a choice but a necessity. Having witnessed the emotional toll it takes on families, I felt compelled to bring this story to life. This film is a tribute to the resilience of rural families who navigate the harsh realities of economic disparity while holding onto hope and love.

Through Katani Baad, I aim to spark conversations about the human cost of migration and the socio-economic structures that force such decisions. The story is not just about survival but about the strength of familial bonds and the sacrifices that come with it,鈥� shares Ravi.

– Written and edited by Shahambare T (YIF 鈥�17)